Agenda Reports Pack (Public) 15/10/2012, 19.00 - Meetings ...

Building a Housing Ladder of Opportunity - Homelessness Strategy4.12 In tandem with the above requirement, the Council is undertaking a review ofits own sheltered housing stock with a view to potentially increasing the supplyof Extra Care accommodation with nursing options. The Housing Strategyidentifies the need to adopt a strategic housing and health approach whicheffectively meets the local needs of vulnerable, disabled and elderly residents.This will necessarily include reference to homeless people.Action: The Council will monitor on an ongoing basis the provision of housingfor people who need care and support and consider where new serviceprovision and housing products are needed and similarly where such existingprovision and products should be discontinued.Theme 4 - Future Service Delivery4.13 As part of the Council’s medium term financial strategy, it is seeking to ensurethat all services provided by the Council provide value for money. This willinclude:• Streamlining the Housing Options Service – this will include reorientatingservice provision to homeless applicants and othercustomers seeking housing advice to reflect the changes proposed inthis Homelessness Strategy and other Housing Change documents,specifically the Housing Allocation Scheme. It will also reflect thestreamlined service that the Council intends to provide in the future,with clear guidelines setting out what the Council will and will not do.• New ways of working – building on existing cross division anddirectorate joint working, the Housing Options division will draw onexperience and expertise from tri-borough arrangements. There will behomeless applicants with both acute housing need but also other unrelatedneeds, e.g., where a child or children are involved; where anapplicant has one or more dependency issues; where homes mayrequire particular specific adaptations for accommodation. The HousingOptions Division will continue to develop its joint working approach toensure outcome are maximised for both customers and the Council andits partner agencies.• Working with Private Registered Providers – The Council intends towork more closely with Private Registered Providers (principallyhousing associations) in seeking to ensure that housing options aremaximised. This will include tracking outcomes from nominationagreements; exploring ‘chain lettings’ opportunities to maximise use ofavailable accommodation; making sure current housing services forparticular need groups (as identified in Annex 2) are receiving effectiveand efficient services.• Accommodation Procurement Strategy and Use of the PrivateRented Sector for Homeless Households – The cost of affordableprivate rented accommodation in the borough is increasing and with the16Page 461